August 28 – Spiritual Anxiety (Romans 3:21-31)

“He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”(Romans 3:26)

IN WORD:
The gospel takes a lifetime to really understand. Perhaps we will always be exploring its depths and never finding its boundaries. Though we try to rest in the salvation God has offered to us, it still hasn’t completely sunk in. We try to earn it, if not by legalism then by proving the earnestness of our faith.
How do we compromise the purity of the gospel? Every time we look at ourselves to see if our salvation is genuine, we have compromised it. When we ask whether we’ve done enough good works, we’ve made salvation something to achieve. When we ask whether we believe strongly or purely enough, we’ve made salvation a matter of our own resolve. Either approach will give a deep sense of anxiety; they both base salvation on the fickle heart of a human being.
There is a spiritual angst deep in the heart of many Christians. It is an unsettled feeling that perhaps we have not done enough, believed enough, struggled or sacrificed enough. Paul offers us the cure: God is both the Just and the Justifier. Salvation begins and ends in Him. Everything about it, other than our simple acceptance, is a gift.

IN DEED:
What does it mean that God is both just and the One who justifies? It means that the same One who demands holiness accomplishes it for us. The same One who orders a sacrifice of blood provides the sacrifice of blood. He requires of us perfection; in Jesus, He offers His own perfection in our stead.
The remedy for our salvation-anxiety, whenever it creeps back in, is to fix our eyes on Jesus. Don’t look within at the quality of your faith, and don’t look at the abundance of your works. Look at Jesus. Count on what He has done. Rest in His work. Know that He has satisfied God fully — for you.

“Justification takes place in the mind of God and not in the nervous system of the believer.” -C.I. Schofield-